The Puppy in the Window
by haikomori
Summary: Hope has a lot of questions, the oddest and most sudden being that he wants a puppy. And boy does he want it, the way he works the big eyes and the pout. And it takes all of Lightning's will power not to give in-never mind.


**So yay! I finally got the request fics done! This is for Seraphim Starlight for winning one of the categories in my Crystal Hearts contest! I admit, I am nervous. This is the first time I have ever done request fics, so I hope it turned out all right. Especially for you Starlight! **

**Things to know: AU-ish, established Hope and Lightning, minor cursing (I think), and fluff with a tiny, tiny touch of angst. **

* * *

Cocoon, or rather, the citizens of Cocoon, managed to prosper after their previous civilization had collapsed and landed on Gran Pulse. The wild lands and ferocious beasts had prompted the citizens to work hard and fast to guard against the many dangers. The city had not spread far, the buildings were small and made of rusted materials salvaged on the wild lands or what was left of Cocoon, but progress had been made. The beasts were hard pressed to get past the constant Guardian Corps. soldiers that were on constant patrol around the city. The people would bustle up and down the streets, looking into shop windows and gathering supplies. They learned to grow their own food, work and live on their own, and just live their new lives in general.

Of course, Hope Estheim had another reason to press his face against the glass of a shop.

Now a slender man of twenty-two, his platinum locks had poofed and grown, giving him a windswept look. His face had lost some baby fat, although he still had some around his cheeks, and his eyes were the same piercing green they had been when he was younger. He had been trailing behind Lightning as they made their way through the crowd. The soldier's hair was a little longer, but otherwise she was relatively unchanged over the years.

Hope had been holding hands with Lightning, blushing like mad as he thought for the thousandth time since it had happened, _Lightning Farron is my girlfriend. My _girlfriend_. Just-Just-wow!_

Even after a year, which Lightning always reminded him whenever things got a little hot and heavy during a make-out session, Hope had trouble wrapping his mind around the fact. Lightning didn't go for just anyone, and Hope thought he'd been far from her choice. He was slender and good-looking, but he was also more emotional. Sometimes bitchy too, not that he'd admit it. Snow called it his man period. Hope would promptly smack Snow in the head.

I mean-why? When I asked her out, I had expected a flat out no, not a lasting relationship. But I-I don't-

That's where Hope's thoughts usually led him. Wondering just what _was_ it that had made Lightning say yes to him. _Pity? Love? No one else to be with? _

_I really, really hope it's love. _

He'd wanted to ask her, but then it might pop the flimsy bubble of fantasy he had surrounded himself in. He wasn't sure if he was ready for that yet.

_But if I don't ask her, does that make me selfish? Maybe not if she really loves me, but if she's forcing herself into this relationship, it probably is. But how do I know? Do I just ask her? Pretend it's all right? Wait until she leaves me on her own? _

_Ugh, I don't know!_

And that's when the shop window had caught his eye. His fingers slipped out of Lightning's grip, his body was pressed against others as he moved his way back to the shop window, and suddenly he was looking at the big brown eyes of a chocolate brown puppy in the window. It was small, and Hope had no idea what it was called, if it was a pure bred, or if it was a mutt. And really, he didn't care. It had big, brown and sad puppy eyes, a poofy tail that wagged like crazy, and was just adorable. _I mean, how could anyone hate a little puppy that-ah! It's chasing its tail!_

Hope grinned as he watched the little puppy run around in circles in the window, snapping at its tail whenever it got close enough, and Hope started to bounce on his feet, his previous thoughts forgotten in a puff of smoke.

_I. Want. Him. _Hope blinked, tilting his head to the side and peering into the window to get a better look at the puppy. He smiled and pulled away, nodding his head, _Yeah, it's a him. _

"Hope, what're you-" Lightning stopped when she found Hope, his face pressed against the glass of the shop window. She raised an eyebrow, eyes drifting to the puppy in the window as it slowed down and stared back at Hope, blinking its big eyes and barking before starting the chase again. Lightning rolled her eyes and looked at Hope, a sense of foreboding creeping into her skin when his smile widened and he chuckled to himself.

"Hope," she called, "Come on, I almost lost you in the crowd back there."

"Sorry Light. I just saw this little guy and I had to come and see him." Lightning smirked, walking up to Hope and grabbing his shoulder. _He can be a little childish sometimes. _

"All right, you looked. Now come on, I still have to get this food or else we'll-" She stopped when Hope turned around to look at her, his green eyes wide and strangely bright while his lower lip jutted out. Lightning almost took a step back as Hope pouted at her before he turned back to the window and pressed closer to the glass.

She shook her head, wondering why there were little spasms in her eye, "All right Hope, come on, we need to get going-"

"He's so cute Light," Hope said, a small smile on his face. He bounced on his feet as his eyes grew distant, "When I was little, I wanted a dog too, but dad was allergic so we couldn't have one. But now that I'm on my own-well, living with you, maybe I can-but then you'd-"

Hope stopped and looked at her, tilting his head to the side. Lightning steeled herself, folding her arms over her chest, the no already on her lips, but Hope beat her to the punch, "Please Lightning. I've always wanted a dog, and I promise…._promise_ to take good care of him. Please? _Please?_" Hope pleaded, blinking his wide eyes and smiling at her.

Lightning almost cupped her hand over her twitching eye.

"Hope-Hope I really…really don't think…" she trailed off when his face started to fall, the pouting smile he was making –_How does he even do that? _– collapsing as she spoke. She huffed, rolled her eyes and looked around the crowd, as if her answer would suddenly sweep in from the bodies. All that came back to her was the loud buzz of chatter. She shook her head, "Hope, I really don't think now is the best time to-maybe later we could actually get one-"

She stopped again and threw her hands in the air. Hope didn't make a sound, only stared at her with large, shimmering eyes that made it look like he'd been kicked in the stomach, and they were watering too and he was looking at her like he was about to cry and she just couldn't do it!

"Why?" she managed, her voice strained, "Why do you want a puppy so badly?"

Hope blinked, as if truly taken off guard, and he smiled rubbing the back of his neck. The look of tears vanished, replaced by his reddening cheeks, "I-I don't know. I guess I just saw him and thought it'd be a lot of fun to have a dog around the house. I mean, sometimes you're gone a lot and having the company around might be nice. But you _are_ right. I can't just go around getting a puppy just because I want to-"

Lightning wasn't even listening to him anymore. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, wondering why one earth she was even considering it. _Do we really even have room for a dog? Sure, he's small now, but he's not going to be small forever. And why'd Hope have to go and say that? Is he being sincere…or is her just being a manipulative bastard? Ugh-I look like the bad guy no matter what I say._

"Light, come on, it's okay!" Hope said, throwing his arms out and shaking his head, "I'll just get one later, when I'm more settled in and we're more comfortable and all that. Besides, it's your house and you don't need another mouth to feed. I shouldn't be asking you for something like this. Let's get the food before Serah calls wondering where we are. We said we'd get that stuff for her while we were out after all."

Lightning blinked, pulling herself from her thoughts as Hope's voice called her back. He was shaking his head and smiling at her, one hand still on the glass of the window, while the other reached for her hand. His fingers locked with hers and he pulled his other hand from the shop window. His smile was a little sad, but he perked up when she caught his eye.

"Let's go! I don't even know why I was so hung up on it in the first place." Lightning nodded, allowing him to lead the way from the shop, even as the puppy's tail sagged when he walked away. Lightning turned away from the puppy, chest tightening a little before she followed Hope back into the crowd.

_He didn't…ugh, he sounded way to cheerful back there didn't he? Why does he want this puppy so badly? _Lightning glanced around. Her eyes immediately finding the bright red color of the darn shop the puppy had been at, but her eyes went back to Hope when he started to talk again.

"I don't really get it either," he said, shrugging a little, "I mean, I saw him and I thought he was cute and all…but I don't know why I wanted him so badly." Hope's eyes traveled over the crowd, his voice a little distant, "My mom had a dog before she met my dad, but she had to get rid of him because of his allergies. So…maybe that's why, just a little." Hope sighed, turning back to smile at her.

_I will not feel bad, I will not feel bad, I will not feel bad._

"Sorry about that; I'm just being a little weird today. But he was cute wasn't he? Now what did Serah want us to get while we were out?" he asked, his smile widening.

_I can't believe I feel bad. He said it was fine didn't he That he knew it was too much to ask for and everything!_

_It's just a dog!_

But none of her guilt made it to her face. Lightning's eyes were calm and cool when she pulled the small slip of paper from her pockets, handing it to Hope to look over. Her eyes went to the shop one more time before they turned a corner and it disappeared from sight.

* * *

_Way to go Hope. Can't believe you went all sad-eyed and mopey over a puppy. Bet Lightning thought that was really cute though, they way you acted about it._

_Not._

Hope sighed and pulled his coat around himself, glancing around a few of the streets before he walked up the steps of his and Lightning's house. He paused, glancing down at some of the grass that crunched beneath his feet. It poked from the sidewalks and some of the rusted metal that made up the stairs, the tiny slivers of grass doing anything to climb through the new structures. Hope groaned, pressing his hand to his free had to his eye.

_Why did I have to say all of that anyway? I mean, it's not like it was really that important._

_Was it?_

_Sure, she's gone sometimes, but that doesn't mean you have to get all blubbery about it. Maybe I really am on this man period that Snow keeps talking about. I mean…first I freak out over our relationship, and I'm not even man enough to ask her about it. And then I act like a twelve year old over a dog. I wouldn't be surprised if she sent me on this trip because she was angry with me._

Hope sighed, shaking his head before taking his keys out and unlocking the door. He slipped inside, shoving the door closed with his foot and sliding his shoes off as he stepped in.

"Light, where are you?" Hope called. He set the small white bag in his hand to a table near the door of the beige hallway, his face already reddening as he thought of the contents.

_Tampons…why did she send me to get-get tampons. I mean, I get it if she was angry but-but-there are some things you just don't-_

_Be a man Hope. There are some things you just have to do. This is one of them._

…_But did the guy really have to stare?_

"Light!" he tried again, flipping a small switch on and blinking his eyes when light flooded the room, "I-I got what you needed? Are you all right, or do you want me to bring it to you or-" Hope stopped, body tensing when he heard something creak on the ground. He narrowed his eyes and fisted his hands, swallowing as he took a step forward.

"Light!" Hope said, even as he started to walk down the hallway toward the darkened entrance to the living room, "I'm back-AH!"

Hope barely got a chance to shout before something came barreling at him, knocking the wind out of his stomach and sending him crashing into the floor. He heard someone chuckle from above him and started to thrash on the floor. _Crap! Someone got in-but-but how? Lightning! What happened to Lightning? I have to-_

…_what?_

Hope's brow furrowed when something rough and wet started to rub against his cheek and he opened his eyes, only to meet a blanket of brown fur. His heart jumped to his throat and he let out a rather…unmanly, high-pitched squeal as he recognized the puppy he had seen a few days ago. He wrapped his arms around the little body against him and almost rolled over, barely able to contain himself as he sat up, rubbing the puppy's ears. He grinned from ear to ear, glancing up when a light flickered on and a shadow loomed over him.

"Light-Light, did you-I mean, why did you-" Hope couldn't finish, the puppy trying to climb up his chest to better lick his face as Hope looked at Lightning. His eyes were bright as he laughed, shaking his head when Lightning sat down next to him, a small smile on her face. She grabbed the puppy from his hands and sat the dog between them, scratching the dog behind the ears.

"You did really want him," Lightning mumbled, not looking Hope in the eye when her face started to heat up. She bit her lip, narrowing her eyes at how hot her cheeks felt, and her voice hardened, "Besides, it's not like I'm the one that's going to have to take care of him. That's you're department. I'm just letting you keep him here, don't forget that."

Hope nodded, unable to keep the smile from his face as Lightning looked away from him, almost crossing her arms, "You have to walk him and scoop whatever he-well, that. And you can clean up any messes he makes, which he better not. And if he so much as-"

"Lightning," Hope said, almost chuckling when she whipped around to face him, a slight tinge of pink in her cheeks.

_I'm such an idiot. To think that I-I really doubted this for a second. I can't ask her now. There's no way I can-I mean, this is just proof, isn't it?_

_I'm such an idiot sometimes._

"What?" she snapped.

_I don't have to ask how she feels about me._

Hope grabbed the puppy and cuddled it close to him before leaning into her face. He smiled at how warm her breath was and how close she was. His eyes dropped as he stared at her, leaning closer and closer, and his heart soared when her eyes clouded over and her hand traveled to the back of his neck.

"Hope…it's not a big deal, I just…"

"Thank you."

He felt a surge of affection and love and pressed his lips to hers. He swallowed her gasp and pressed even closer, shuddering when she kissed back. Her lips moved smoothly against his chapped ones, still a little cold from the night air. But her warmth was quickly flooding him, and he slowly let the puppy down to wrap his arms around her waist.

"Hope, you're such an idiot sometimes," she mumbled when their lips parted, her breath short.

He smiled when he pulled away, bringing the puppy back up and hugging it to his chest. The dog looked up at him, blinking the large brown eyes he'd grown attached to when he had seen the puppy in the shop.

_It's scary how alike we think._

He smiled at the dog as it licked his face, closing his eyes as the tongue passed by. He grinned at Lightning and held the puppy up, letting it lick her face. He chuckled when some spit started to roll down her cheek before pulling the puppy away as she growled.

"Hope," she growled, gritting her teeth as she rubbed the saliva from her cheek, :I don't want that puppy thinking it can lick me to death either, so stop it."

Hope just grinned, his cheeks pink, "Thank you."

_I already know._


End file.
